into a community based manage-
ment system, and a community
resource.^14Indigenous Peoples rela-
tionship with wild
rice/Manomin
Wild rice is known to indigenous
peoples as Manomin – the “gift of
the Creator”. Being easily stored,
Manominwas known historically
as an invaluable commodity for
trade, and a critical food in times
of scarcity.^15 Contemporary
Manominuse has a role in main-
taining a link to the history and
culture of its indigenous users.
Harvesting is a ritualised activity
learned, taught, and practiced in
culturally specified ways.^16 Children harvest
in lakes seeded by their grandparents and
great grandparents;
they learn how to har-
vest and process
Manominfrom their
elders; and they con-
tinue to share in the
communal practice of
protecting, nurturing
and harvesting the
plant. As Thurston
states, “for traditional
harvesters, ricing is a
kind of spiritual holiday, a time for families
and friends to come together.^17In Aboriginal communities, Manominis sub-
ject to a system of Aboriginal management.
This process includes a ‘steward’ who moni-
tors the crop and decides when it is ready
to harvest. The steward also decides who
should be invited to participate in the har-
vest so that all community needs are met.
The quality of rice beds are considered and,
if poor, are left to rest in order to replenish.
It is an implicit understanding that a portion
of the seed will be allowed to fall into the
water, or be sowed on the water, for fishand other animal users, as well as for the
regeneration of the plant for the future.^18 In
this way, there is an implicit recognition of
themselves - the indigenous users - as
members of an ecological community. It
also implies respect for Manominand its
contribution to the well being of the whole
ecological environment.The 1970s saw a movement to open up
tracts set aside for indigenous people to
non-indigenous commercial operations. At
Ardoch Ontario, this movement precipitated
a four year struggle by the local community
to protect what was seen as a local
resource. This conflict took place between
two major groups: a community action
group vs. the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources (OMNR) and Lanark Wild Rice
(LWR). The community action group was
formed through an alliance of a number of
different parties: the non-status Algonquin
residents of Ardoch headed by the Perry
family, their status Mississauga relatives
from a nearby Mississauga reserve, non-
indigenous permanent and seasonal resi-
dents, and a number of regional representa-
tives (i.e. the local conservation authority,
two regional municipal councils, the localHistory, cculture aand cconservation
It iis aan iimplicit uunder-
standing tthat aa pportion
of tthe sseed wwill bbe
allowed tto ffall iinto tthe
water, oor bbe ssowed oon tthe
water, ffor ffish aand oother
animal uusers, aas wwell aas
for tthe rregeneration oof
the pplant ffor tthe ffuture.
Figure 2.Wild Rice plants in August - these plants need a few
more weeks to ripen. (Courtesy Susan DeLisle)